State of the Art for Netbooks - 4Q09
Netbooks are really becoming popular. I'm starting to think about getting one!
For me, thinking about purchasing a new gadget means a long and detailed process of analyzing the ins and outs of every significant option...so it will likely be another six months before I can decide. There are a few key technologies being developed right now that will make netbooks really incredible in the coming months.
What people want in a netbook:
- light and portable
- durable
- long battery life
- fast enough for Internet, movies, photos, and music
- inexpensive
In less than a month most netbooks are going to be shipping with Windows 7 installed. It will be faster and easier to use (I hope) than current netbooks with Windows XP that require someone like me to maintain.
Many manufacturers have opted to wait until Windows 7 arrives before they release their new netbook models with the Nvidia Ion graphics processor. I would definitely wait for this one since it is supposed to improve the performance and battery life of netbooks.
However, there is one concern I have that motivates me to utilize the wait and see approach before taking the netbook plunge. Intel is planning to ditch their current line of atom processors (N270 and N280 which use 3-chip platform) for a new design that utilize a 2-chip platform by the end of 2009. They are combining the CPU and GPU into one chip, which doesn't bode well for Nvidia's Ion. I don't know what will happen so i can't recommend a netbook yet.
The last thing I'm excited about, and may wait for, is the mSATA interface. It will allow for smaller, faster, and more energy efficient SSDs to be incorporated into netbooks. I envision netbooks eventually becoming more like calculators: instant on, lighter and thinner, rugged and reliable, quiet, with a long battery life.
As far as brands go, I really like the Asus Eee line. They will likely come out with some great netbooks at reasonable prices in the next six to nine months.
image courtesy of ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
